Berlin Gate International Film Festival (BGIFF) (1)

Festival start: 24 January 2027      Festival end: 24 January 2027

A NEW KIND OF FILM FESTIVAL.
A FIRST EDITION WITH SOMETHING TO OPEN.

Some stories begin with a camera. Others begin with a page.
All begin with a person who believes the work deserves to go further.

Born in Berlin and open internationally, Berlin Gate International Film Festival brings independent films, screenplays and stage plays into a new festival journey. Our ambition is to connect distinctive work with audiences, recognition and a growing creative community — and to make the next step clear to the people who create it.

TALENT SHOULD HAVE A WAY IN

A powerful story should not be left outside because its maker cannot afford an entry fee.

Pre-registration for the main film and writing competitions on Festhome is free of a BGIFF submission fee. If your work passes our initial review, you can complete and sign your entry for free, with one competition section included. Festhome may apply an independent platform or file-handling charge under its own terms.

Further eligible sections and separate services are optional. You can take part through your included section. Purchases never influence a jury decision.

FROM THIS REGISTRATION TO YOUR PERSONAL PAGE

Submit in the Festhome category that best describes the work itself. We use it to route the registration; the final choice of BGIFF competition sections takes place on your personal page.

Every registered work receives an initial review. If eligible, you receive a personal invitation link to bgiff.com: check your details, choose your included section, review any optional additions and sign before the personal deadline shown.

Registration here is the first step. A completed entry and Official Selection are separate steps, each with its own meaning. Your personal page brings together your work's progress, documents, purchases and next action.

FILM AND WRITING, EACH WITH ITS OWN PATH

Films are considered in the sections chosen for them. Screenplays and stage plays are reviewed independently in the included section and every further section added; selection in one does not stop review in another.

Other creative formats accepted through platform categories have separate routes. They are not automatically entered in the main film or writing competition.

A FESTIVAL COMMUNITY IN THE MAKING

Berlin Gate begins with a First Edition and a larger ambition: a lasting connection between stories, their makers and the people ready to discover them.

The next chapter of our festival journey is revealed on 24 November 2026. The published calendar and your personal page show the steps already announced.

Bring the work you believe in. Let its next chapter begin.

Official information: https://bgiff.com
Sections: https://bgiff.com/sections
Calendar: https://bgiff.com/key-dates

Cash Prizes: 1,000€

RECOGNITION THAT BELONGS TO THE WORK

Official Selection is a real milestone: your work has been selected for the festival competition. Completing an entry or passing the initial review does not create that distinction.

Films and writing have separate competitions. Further distinctions recognise the works that progress, with award titles, categories and criteria announced for the edition. The writing path includes Official Selection, quarter-finalists, semi-finalists, finalists and winners.

YOUR INCLUDED SECTION COUNTS

An entry completed through its included section is eligible for the edition's awards. Extra sections and services are optional. Purchases never influence a jury decision.

LAURELS, CERTIFICATES AND YOUR FESTIVAL RECORD

Recognition follows the distinction actually earned. Results, laurels and certificates are released in line with their public announcement dates. Basic digital laurels for an earned distinction are free and do not require a purchase. Private results remain confidential until their public date.

CASH AWARDS AND PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

The €1,000 cash prize displayed on this Festhome listing is a conditional goal, subject to sufficient festival revenue and a separate confirmation by BGIFF. It is not guaranteed by registering, completing an entry or being selected. If confirmed, eligibility, amount and payment conditions will be announced before the prize is offered. Other professional opportunities may also depend on confirmed partners.

Follow the edition's published recognition and opportunities:
https://bgiff.com/awards

1. THE WORK AND THE PERSON ENTERING IT

You must own the work or be authorised to act for its rights holder. Information and credits must be accurate. The person who completes and signs the official BGIFF entry must be at least 18 and entitled to act for the work.

Work is welcome from all countries. Unless a category states an approved requirement, there is no restriction on premiere status or year of production. Films with non-English dialogue must include clear English subtitles. Scripts must be in English or accompanied by a complete English translation.

Use the category that describes the work itself. A screenplay or stage play is a text; a filmed performance, trailer, reel, photograph or poster is not a screenplay simply because a writing category was selected.

2. PRE-REGISTRATION AND THE OFFICIAL ENTRY

Registration through Festhome is pre-registration. Every registered work receives an initial review. Passing that check invites you to complete your entry; it is not Official Selection.

An eligible work receives a personal invitation link to bgiff.com. Complete the details, choose at least the included section and sign the Entry Terms before the personal deadline shown. Complete your entry by that deadline to take part under the Entry Terms presented to you.

The public registration deadline and your personal completion deadline are different. Follow the calendar and the date on your personal page.

The same work registered more than once, in more than one platform category or through both platforms remains one BGIFF entry with one personal page. Duplicate registrations do not create additional included sections. Several different works remain separate works.

3. THE INCLUDED SECTION AND OPTIONAL PURCHASES

For the main film and writing competitions, there is no BGIFF submission fee for pre-registration, and no fee to complete the entry. Every completed entry in the main film or writing competition includes one eligible section of your choice. Further eligible sections and separate services are optional and paid, under the terms shown before purchase on bgiff.com.

Films: your film is considered in every section chosen for it. If selected, BGIFF decides its placement, taking into account the film and section capacity; it may also be presented with other sections chosen for it.

Screenplays and stage plays: the work is reviewed independently in the included section and every further section added. Selection in one section does not stop review in another, and the work can be selected in more than one section.

A further section pays for consideration or review, not a guaranteed result. Completing, signing or paying does not by itself create a selection. Purchases never influence a jury decision.

4. FESTIVAL MATCH AND WRITING SERVICES

Festival Match is an optional service through which our team assigns further eligible sections that fit the work and are covered by the service. The included section stays in place; a section already bought is not assigned or charged again.

Its separate guarantee is Official Selection, in competition in at least one fitting section, or a full refund of the Festival Match price under the Terms of Sale. The guarantee is checked at the Official Selection announcement: 21 December 2026 for films and 14 December 2026 for screenplays and stage plays. The price is also refunded in full if the team finds no further section that fits and is covered. The work must have been completed and confirmed by its personal date.

The guarantee is a promise to refund; it never changes a selection decision. It does not guarantee a later stage, a particular placement or an award.

Script Feedback, Pitch Pack and Writer Bundle are separate writing services. They are independent of the competition and are not included automatically in Festival Match. Their output, price and delivery period are shown before purchase. Optional services are available only where offered for the work's actual route.

5. REVIEW, RESULTS AND RECOGNITION

Selection combines technology-assisted analysis with review by our selection committee and jury. A person on our team confirms every selection list and rejection. Invalid work, unreadable or unplayable files, the wrong kind of work, or missing rights cannot be accepted.

Selected writers hear privately first, in waves. Writing Official Selection is announced publicly on 14 December 2026. Film Official Selection is announced on 21 December 2026, by personal email first. Writing winners are announced in April 2027. Further public dates are published on bgiff.com.

Official Selection, later competition distinctions and awards are different results. A private result is confidential until its public date. Use only the laurel corresponding to a distinction actually awarded, without misleading alteration. Basic digital laurels for earned distinctions are free.

The €1,000 cash prize displayed by Festhome is conditional on sufficient festival revenue and separate confirmation by BGIFF; it is not guaranteed. If confirmed, its eligibility and payment conditions will be announced before it is offered. Other funded prizes or partner opportunities, if confirmed, will have their own conditions.

6. FILES, RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS

Keep the submitted work and viewing materials accessible to the festival through Festhome until judging is complete. Supply correct passwords and working links. An inaccessible work may be referred for follow-up or found invalid.

You must hold the rights required for the work, including footage, music, images, text, performances and third-party or AI-generated material. Music permissions must cover the required uses; a cue sheet may be requested. Information about AI use must be accurate. Deceptive impersonation and non-consensual deepfakes are not accepted.

Rights stay with the rights holder. The Entry Terms presented at completion set out permission for evaluation, archiving, the specified festival screenings and limited promotional uses. They do not transfer ownership or grant BGIFF the right to sell, develop or produce the work. The full text of a screenplay or stage play is not published without separate consent.

Official Selection does not by itself promise a particular public screening. The selected programme and relevant rights are handled under the Entry Terms.

7. OTHER CREATIVE FORMATS

Categories for photography, posters, trailers, reels, performance, filmed theatre or audio/media projects help identify those registrations. Their route is distinct from the main film and writing competitions unless the actual work qualifies for one of those competitions. Applicable format requirements and participation arrangements are confirmed separately.

Describe the actual work accurately. Selecting a platform category does not by itself determine the work's type or competition route.

8. PURCHASES, WITHDRAWAL AND CHANGES

Services purchased on bgiff.com are governed by the Terms of Sale accepted for that order, including the Festival Match guarantee, delivery commitments, changes and refunds. Consumer withdrawal information is available there. No blanket statement about submission fees overrides those purchase terms.

Earlier registrations and purchases retain the rights provided by the terms accepted at the time. This updated description does not retroactively remove those rights.

Any independent charge applied by a submission platform is governed by that platform's own terms and is distinct from a BGIFF service purchased on bgiff.com.

Information, dates, sections, venues or awards may be changed for the valid reasons described in the Entry Terms. Changes affecting a purchase are handled under the Terms of Sale. Published updates are provided through the festival's official channels and personal pages.

9. COMMUNICATION AND PRIVACY

We use registration information to operate the festival, maintain one dossier per work and communicate about the entry. Offers and news are handled in accordance with the current Privacy Notice and the person's marketing choice. Following an invitation or completing an entry is not itself permission for unrelated advertising.

BGIFF is organised by Amira Pictures, Inh. Amir Mahdi Morsali, Kantstraße 67, 10627 Berlin, Germany. The current organiser and contact details are in the Imprint.

These platform rules explain the route into BGIFF. On the BGIFF platform, the Entry Terms shown at signing apply; purchases follow the Terms of Sale shown before ordering. Read those documents before accepting them.

Entry Terms: https://bgiff.com/legal/entry-terms
Terms of Sale: https://bgiff.com/legal/terms
Privacy Notice: https://bgiff.com/legal/privacy
Public dates: https://bgiff.com/key-dates
Contact: submissions@bgiff.com